I hope I am well past the soggy pizza crust stage, because when this comes out right, it is very freeing to know a fresh pizza can be made at home. I, often, use a cookie sheet to make a big, rectangular pizza to cut into squares. They are easy to wrap individually in foil and freeze. I pull one out the night before for a lunchbox, and it is defrosted by lunchtime the next day. Alternatively, they are re-heated in the toaster oven for a “fast-food” lunch or dinner at home.

A few key things to share with you are the pre-baked pan, pre-baked crust, and making sure the yeast becomes active. First, pre-baking the pan and then the crust, seem to be essential for a nice, crisp crust under juicy sauce and vegetable toppings. Baking on a pizza stone, and in a wood-fired oven would probably elevate the pizza even more, but I am not quite there, yet. Do I consider these for my Christmas list? Secondly, I started using my husband’s home-brew thermometer to make sure the warm water is in the ideal range for making the yeast active (proofing the yeast). The side of the yeast package lists the temperature range, and following it carefully has made a big difference in getting the yeast to consistently rise properly. Like any homemade food, once you make it a few times, its process becomes less of a mystery, and the rewards are great for you and for those you feed. Cheers!

Pizza Crust

Proof the yeast by warming the water and adding the yeast + sugar. Let it sit until the yeast starts to bubble, about five minutes. Add one cup of flour, oil, salt, and optional minced garlic. Mix with a spoon as you add an whole grain or seeds, then more and more flour until you can no longer stir it.

Ditch any rings you are wearing and use your hands to knead the dough until you have added all of the flour and you have a nice, smooth ball of dough.

Place this in a greased bowl, cover with a clean cotton kitchen towel, and let it sit somewhere where there are no drafts. Let it rise until the ball is double in size. The timing will depend on the warmth of the ambient air, but usually takes an hour or so.

Once you have risen dough, flour a flat surface and roll out the dough until it is the size of your pizza pan.

Preheat the pizza pan in a 450 degree oven for about ten minutes. Pull the dough up and stretch it to carefully place the dough on the hot pan. Randomly, poke a few holes in the crust, and put back in the oven to pre-bake until it barely starts to brown.

Remove from the oven, spread pizza sauce (recipe below) and load with toppings of your choice. Return your pizza to the oven until the toppings are warmed and the cheese melted.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour Cookbook

Tomato Basil Pizza

Pizza Sauce

Use 28 oz of canned tomatoes with liquid, 5 garlic cloves, and a few splashes of olive oil. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour. Transfer to a blender and puree.

Bacon Onion Tomato Sauce

We ate this sauce over gnocchi with sliced avocado. It would be a perfect pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or served over poached eggs. Once again, Alice Waters nails it.

Bacon Onion Tomato Sauce Recipe

Start with a saucepan and lay out a package of bacon across the bottom. Cook the bacon until browned. Remove the bacon and set aside. Chop one onion and cook in the bacon fat left in the bottom of the saucepan until translucent. Chop a large bowl of tomatoes, removing juice, when possible. Add tomatoes to the pan and cook for about twenty minutes. Crumble the bacon and add to the saucepan of tomatoes. Add salt to taste.

Tomato Basil Sauce

We eat this sauce on pasta, of course, but it is, also, excellent poured over poached eggs on toast. The butter used in this recipe makes the sauce a little richer, but olive oil can be used. I have a hand held electric mixer for making soups that I use to grind the ingredient in this sauce to make it saucy. I keep the skins on the tomatoes and chop the onions coarsely because they are ground well once they have simmered and have cooled. A blender or food processor can be used, as well, to make a smooth sauce.